BUSINESS & PROFESSIONAL
entrepreneur
Great outcomes.
Done well
CUSTOMER MINDED from page A31
A. trusted partner
At Baird we offer deep financial expertise with straight
talk and genuine care for our clients. Whether we're protecting
or growing your assets, planning for major events in your future or
arranging to transfer your wealth to the next generation —
our goal is to get you where you want to go and make sure
you feel good about getting there.
Julie and Lois display a seasonal fashion.
Sheldon Rosenberg
Managing Director
Senior Investment Consultant
Private Wealth Management
7125 Orchard Lake Road, Suite 302
West Bloomfield, MI 48322
248-932-8665 . 888-792-5171
srosenbergerwba i rd.com
2009 Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated. Member SIPC. MC-25419
1500150
HOUSE,/ RENEW
Pepair
with a vacant storefront closer to
Telegraph Road, the partners settled
into their first location at Orchard
Mall, literally across from their cur-
rent locale.
We didn't expect it to grow so
fast and we were totally unpre-
pared," Levenson recalled. "It just
started with an idea and just devel-
oped and kept going and going. I
can't believe it's been this long."
But customers can.
Lisa Chaben of West Bloomfield
said she remembers shopping with
her mother for the latest styles in
Levenson's basement as a 10 year
old. She's still a regular, now sharing
the experience with her daughter, age
8.
"It's very cool to shop here with
my daughter like I did," Chaben said,
clutching newly purchased attire on
a recent weekend. "They cater to
everything we need and the selec-
tion ... it never stops."
Family Affair
WISHES OUR CUSTOMERS
AND JEWISH COALNIUNITY
A VERY HEALTHY
AND HAPPY PASSOVER
In Business Since 1976
(248) 642-0363
Don't miss ours
251 Merrill 2nd Level
Closed Mondays
Silver Replating Sale
1499720
A32
April 9 * 2009
From Levenson on down, the store's
staff works hard to give it a family
feel that can't be avoided, literally.
For the past 21 years, Levenson's
business partner and strongest mer-
chandising asset is her daughter,
Julie Feldman-Unatin.
Though she never intended to stay
in the family business, Julie took
great interest in how the store and
retail fashion industry worked. By
age 11, she was a regular helping
hand in the store and had unknow-
ingly placed herself on a career path.
Upon earning a degree in fash-
ion merchandising from Eastern
Michigan University in 1987, she
had few reservations taking owner-
ship in what seemed a perfect fit as
Michaels left the business.
"I'm sure it was because of the
store's influence that I've always
had an interest in fashion, but I can't
imagine doing something else. I love
dressing people," Feldman-Unatin
said.
The pair share responsibilities and
are hands-on, immersed in every
aspect of the business, from account-
ing and merchandising to conducting
inventories and floor sales.
Julie, an art minor in college, also
coordinates the window displays,
which draw customers in as they
make their way toward the mall's
main courtyard, right outside the
Guys N Gals entrance.
Though they admit to typical ups
and downs working in a family busi-
ness, there's a sense of pride and
gratification in being part of some-
thing for so long, together.
Staying Involved
Over the years, the duo has added
several niches to the store that
earned it a reputation throughout the
local Jewish community as a place
for great gifts, bat mitzvah dresses
and personalized baby presents with
custom artwork.
Both mother and daughter also
stayed committed to local charitable
causes that are incorporated into the
store. In March, they participated
in Hillel Day School of Metropolitan
Detroit's first fashion fundraiser; in
June, they will host their 20th annual
jean trade-in for the homeless,
where any donation is rewarded with
50 percent off a new jean purchase.
But their bread-and-butter and
professional passion has always
been keeping families fashionable.
"It's making me feel old; but it's
great to see a grandmother come
in with a girl that I dressed, who
just came in with their child," said
Feldman-Unatin, now 43. "I can
dress three generations at the same
time; it's neat for me to see."